Pelicans (29-27), Hawks (27-28)
New Orleans recently endured a stretch of games in which it was a chore to reach 100 points, but suddenly the Pelicans have regained their early-season form as a high-octane offensive attack. As a result, over a four-day span, they’ve put together a three-game winning streak, following a frustrating 10-game losing skid. On Tuesday, New Orleans took command in the third quarter, then held on in the final minutes to beat Atlanta, improving to 3-0 on a four-game homestand. “This is a resilient group,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said of his team bouncing back from a difficult month of basketball. “We went through a tough stretch this season. We did the same thing last season. We’re learning that we have the ability to navigate adversity. We do it together, stay connected. We don’t point fingers. It’s good to get on the winning side of things.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
CJ McCollum somehow connected on an off-balance, ridiculously high-degree-of-difficulty three-pointer to beat the shot clock midway through the fourth quarter, with New Orleans already leading by double digits. Trey Murphy followed that up with a dagger three of his own from the right wing, putting the hosts in front 108-92 with 5:10 remaining.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Brandon Ingram sat out Sunday’s back-to-back vs. Sacramento, but was on the floor Tuesday and returned to the same form he showed Saturday against the Lakers (35 points). This time Ingram deposited 30 points on 11/18 shooting from the field, methodically finding holes in the Atlanta defense and hitting jumpers.
BY THE NUMBERS
3: Atlanta turnovers in the first half.
6: Atlanta turnovers in the third quarter, igniting a New Orleans surge that put the hosts up by 10 entering the final 12 minutes.
8: New Orleans steals, led by three from Herb Jones and two apiece by reserves Larry Nance Jr. and Naji Marshall.
REVISITING FANDUEL KEYS TO THE GAME
PROLIFIC PELICANS
New Orleans shot 49.5 percent from the field, after a 54 percent rate on the weekend. The Pelicans didn’t go for 130-plus points again, but 116 was more than enough to prevail. All five starters contributed 11 points or more.
TREY TIME
Speaking of threes, the Pelicans were 12/32 from three-point range, marking the first time they had double-digit trifectas in consecutive games since Jan. 18-20. From an individual standpoint, Murphy started the game promisingly with a couple three-point makes, but foul trouble short-circuited his first-half impact. He wound up with a solid 16-point game, after he averaged 25.5 on the weekend against the Lakers and Sacramento.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Trae Young was an assist machine from the get-go for Atlanta, handing out double-digit dimes in rapid fashion while executing pick-and-rolls. However, Jones’ defense helped hold Young to 4/14 shooting from the floor. Fellow Hawks starting guard Dejounte Murray was 8/17 for 19 points, handing out seven assists.
#PELSPOTWPOLL
The poll took a week off after a second straight winless seven-day period, but it returned this time after a splendid weekend at home. Murphy earned Pelicans Player of the Week honors for the second time in 2022-23 by garnering over half of Twitter votes (55 percent), following a memorable 48-hour stretch of Week 16 in which he averaged 25.5 points against the Lakers and Kings. Meanwhile, @retro_pels cast a write-in vote for Jones; as @JustinDiaz_ noted, “Larry Nance was HUGE for us. Herb played some of his best defense I’ve seen him play. I’ll pick Ingram here tho.” Recent winners were Week 11: Zion Williamson; Week 12: Naji Marshall; Week 13: CJ McCollum; Week 14: CJ McCollum; Week 15: None.